August, 2023

• 21 August

  US sanctions Turkey-backed Syrian militias over rights abuses in Afrin

  

  Washington has accused the Suleiman Shah Brigade, the Hamza Division and their leadership of committing serious rights abuses in the Kurdish-majority enclave of Afrin. The US Treasury Department imposed sanctions Thursday on two Turkey-backed Syrian militias accused of forcibly displacing and oppressing the local Kurdish population in northern Syria’s Afrin …

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• 21 August

  Zionism and Israel

  

  Zionism The term Zionism is derived from the word Zion that in the Hebrew language and cultural-historical tradition of the Jews refers to the citadel (acropolis) of the city of Jerusalem as well as to the Kingdom of Heaven. From the matter of politics, Zionism refers to the political-national movement …

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• 21 August

  U.S.-Backed Roll of the Dice Leaves Ukraine in Worse Crisis

  

  President Biden wrote in the New York Times in June 2022 that the United States was arming Ukraine to “fight on the battlefield and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.” Ukraine’s fall 2022 counteroffensive left it in a stronger position, yet Biden and his NATO allies …

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• 21 August

  Prigozhin’s Mutiny Shatters Illusion of Powerful Media Empire

  

  Prigozhin’s media empire was conceived as a contractor that would perform functions for the state while remaining under external management. But it turns out that receiving billions of dollars in taxpayers’ money is no guarantee of either effectiveness or loyalty. One of the consequences of businessman and mercenary leader Yevgeny …

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• 21 August

  Iranian, Saudi Diplomats Hold Talks In Riyadh

  

  Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud held talks in Riyadh on Thursday. They discussed the relations between Tehran and Riyadh, issues of mutual interest concerning the Muslim world, as well as regional and international developments. Heading a delegation, Amirabdollahian has traveled to Riyadh …

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• 21 August

  Wagner Coup Reshapes Asia’s View Of Russia – Analysis

  

  The attempted armed mutiny in Russia on 23–24 June 2023 by the Wagner private military company, led by Russia’s controversial oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, is continuing to generate shockwaves domestically and internationally. While the coup has triggered debates about the survivability of Vladimir Putin’s regime, some preliminary conclusions can also be …

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• 21 August

  Lessons From Ukraine For The Future Of War – Analysis

  

  Something Old: Twentieth-Century Warfare Is Not Disappearing Soon The war in Ukraine has reinforced the age-old lesson that geography is one of the most important variables in warfare. Any battle plan that Ukraine’s or Russia’s commanders might draw up remains subject to the dictates of space and terrain. As they …

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• 21 August

  US Imposes Sanctions on Two Armed Groups in Syria

  

  The United States imposed on Thursday sanctions on two Türkiye-backed Syrian armed groups and some of their leaders accused of human rights abuses in areas under their control. “The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating two Syria-based armed militias and three members of …

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• 21 August

  Iran Supreme Leader: Saying “Military Options are on the Table” is Meaningless

  

  Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said the phrase “military options are on the table” to the IRGC’s deterrence power and capabilities has become “trivial, meaningless, and worthless.” Khamenei was speaking during a meeting with the Supreme Assembly of Commanders and Officials of the Iranian Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the first …

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• 21 August

  Putin, Raisi Discuss Tehran Joining BRICS

  

  Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi discussed Iran’s possible membership of the BRICS. “The parties discussed issues related to cooperation in international and regional affairs, particularly taking into account Iran’s full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and its interest in joining the BRICS group,” the …

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